Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Bars

I made these bars for Christmas Eve and I loved them! I love cheesecake and chocolate chip cookies, so this recipe is a perfect combo! It's also simple to make. The original recipe is from Betty Crocker.

1/2	cup butter, softened
1	pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker  chocolate chip cookie mix
1	egg
2	packages (8 oz each) cream cheese, softened
1	cup sugar
2	eggs
1	teaspoon vanilla

 Make the cookie dough as directed. Press 2/3 of dough into the bottom of an un-greased 11X7 pan. Beat cream cheese, eggs, sugar and vanilla till smooth. Pour over cookie dough mixture. Drop remaining dough by spoonfuls onto the top of the cream cheese. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes. Cool and refrigerate for at least 2 hours. Pin It

Chocolate Butterscotch Peanut Clusters

These peanut clusters were really yummy and incredibly easy to make. You can make them with peanut butter chips in place of the butterscotch chips also. I even think they'd be great with salted peanuts. I found the original recipe here.
Ingredients:
bag of semi-sweet chocolate chips
bag of butterscotch chips
2 cups of unsalted roasted peanuts
Directions:
Heat chocolate chips and butterscotch chips together in a double boiler. Once melted, remove from heat and stir in peanuts. Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet covered in wax paper. Cool and remove. Pin It

Pretzel-Topped Sweet Potatoes

So I really loathe this picture, but I just always feel the need to have a picture with the recipe regardless of how bad it looks...Anyway, don't let the picture fool you, this is such a delicious recipe! I love sweet and salty, which is why I love the combo of these sweet potatoes and pretzels. I didn't mash the potatoes I just put them in whole(after I drained them)and added the topping. Amazing!

* 2 cups chopped pretzel rods (about 13)
* 1 cup chopped pecans
* 1 cup fresh or frozen cranberries
* 1 cup packed brown sugar
* 1 cup butter, melted, divided
* 1 can (2-1/2 pounds) sweet potatoes, drained
* 1 can (5 ounces) evaporated milk
* 1/2 cup sugar
* 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

* In a large bowl, combine the pretzels, pecans, cranberries, brown sugar and 1/2 cup butter; set aside.
* In a large bowl, beat the sweet potatoes until smooth. Add the milk, sugar, vanilla and remaining butter; beat until well blended.
* Spoon into a greased shallow 2-qt. baking dish; sprinkle with pretzel mixture. Bake, uncovered, at 350° for 25-30 minutes or until the edges are bubbly.

Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home

Pin It

Slow Cooker Chicken and Dumplings

I've always loved Chicken and Dumplings. My daughter, however, does not love the big kind of dumplings that I usually make. She loves the little ones, like the kind you find in the canned chicken and dumplings. Tonight I decided to try a new recipe that would be similar to that. I found a recipe at allrecipes.com that was exactly what I was looking for. It was really easy and we all liked it. Next time I'll use bone in chicken. I just think it has a much better flavor, especially for Chicken and Dumplings. I'll also throw in some celery and 2 or 3 chicken bouillon cubes.

Ingredients

• 4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
• 2 tablespoons butter(I did not add butter)
• 2 (10.75 ounce) cans condensed cream of chicken soup
• 1 onion, finely diced(I did not add onion, but I did add baby carrots)
• 2 (10 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough, torn into pieces(I used 1 can of biscuits)

Directions

1. Place the chicken, butter, soup, and onion in a slow cooker, and fill with enough water to cover.
2. Cover, and cook for 5 to 6 hours on High. About 30 minutes before serving, place the torn biscuit dough in the slow cooker. Cook until the dough is no longer raw in the center. 

Pin It

Cranberry Macadamia Pretzel Bars

I put this recipe off for a year because I wasn't sure that I was crazy about the combination but the idea of each ingredient sounded so good. Wow! I shouldn't have waited. These are amazing. They are buttery, slightly tart with the perfect mix of rich chocolate and salty and sweetness. You will love them. The only change I made was to pipe frosting on top instead of white chocolate because we are not white chocolate fans. Please let me know if you love them as much as my family did.

Recipe courtesy of www.themixingbowl.com

Servings: 36 bars

Prep time: 30 minutes

Cook time: 26 minutes

Total time: 56 minutes

Ingredients:

Crust Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups finely crushed pretzels
3 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter, melted
1 egg white, beaten


Filling Ingredients:
1 cup orange-flavored sweetened dried cranberries
1 cup coarsely chopped roasted macadamia nuts
2/3 cup LAND O LAKES® Butter
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar


Topping Ingredients: (I piped vanilla frosting from the jar)
1/2 cup real semi-sweet chocolate chips or white baking chips
1 teaspoon shortening

Directions:

Heat oven to 325°F. Line 13x9-inch baking pan with aluminum foil, extending foil over edges.

Combine pretzels and brown sugar in medium bowl; stir in 1/2 cup melted butter until well mixed. Stir in beaten egg white. Press onto bottom of prepared pan. Bake 8 minutes; sprinkle cranberries and nuts over hot, partially baked crust.

Combine 2/3 cup butter and 1/2 cup brown sugar in 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil. Continue cooking, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Pour evenly over cranberries and nuts in pan. Continue baking for 18 to 20 minutes or until caramel layer is bubbly and golden.

Place chocolate chips and shortening in small microwave-safe bowl. Microwave on HIGH (100% power), stirring occasionally, until chips are melted and smooth (45 to 60 seconds). Drizzle over bars. Cool completely. Lift bars out of pan using foil ends; cut into bars.

Store at room temperature in container with tight-fitting lid.

VARIATION: Cranberry Pretzel Cashew Bars:
Substitute coarsely chopped cashews for macadamia nuts.

Recipe Tip
To cool bars quickly; refrigerate bars 30 minutes.

Recipe Tip
To crush pretzels; use a food processor or place pretzels in heavy-duty resealable food bag. Use a rolling pin to crush pretzels.

Pin It

Skillet Rotini with Ricotta Balls

I saw a  recipe a couple days ago that had pasta and sauce in a skillet with ricotta balls dropped on top of it. It sounded so good, but when I went to make my weekly menu I couldn't remember where I saw it. After doing some searching online(and not finding the exact recipe), I found out that the ricotta mixture is basically the same as what you would use to stuff shells, minus the egg. I just winged it from there. It was really good and the whole family loved it.

Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
Rotini pasta(or any other similarly sized pasta) about  10 oz
1 jar of pasta sauce
1 cup of ricotta cheese
1/4 cup of Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup mozzarella cheese

Directions: Brown ground beef in a skillet. Sprinkle with salt and garlic powder. While beef is browning bring water to a boil and cook pasta according to directions on box. Once beef is browned, drain fat. Add sauce and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese. Simmer. Mix together ricotta cheese, 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and 1/2 cup mozzarella cheese, set aside. Once pasta is done, drain and add to sauce. Mix together. Add ricotta mixture to top of sauce and pasta(heaping tablespoons). Cover and simmer till ricotta mixture is heated through. Pin It

Caramel Apple Cupcakes

Caramel apples are one of my favorite treats so I loved the idea of trying these caramel apple cupcakes. These were really simple to make and the kids loved helping me. The result was so delicious! Perfect for fall!
Ingredients:
1 package (18-1/4 ounces) spice cake mix or 1 package (18 ounces) carrot cake mix
2 cups chopped peeled tart apples
20 caramels
3 tablespoons milk(I used water, about 1 T. I melted the caramel in the microwave)
1 cup finely chopped pecans, toasted
12 Popsicle sticks(I didn't use these)
Directions
Prepare cake batter according to package directions; fold in apples.
Fill 12 greased or paper-lined jumbo muffin cups three-fourths full. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes before removing from pans to wire racks to cool completely.
In a saucepan, cook the caramels and milk over low heat until smooth. Spread over cupcakes. Sprinkle with pecans. Insert a wooden stick into the center of each cupcake.
(I made 24 regular size muffins)

Recipe courtesy of Taste of Home  Pin It